In the installation of a vinyl floor covering, the cutting of the edge of a sheet of vinyl so that it fits tightly up against the wall of the room has always involved a substantial amount of skill upon the part of the installer.
Typically the installer pushes the upwardly curved edge of the vinyl fairly tightly into the intersection of the floor and the wall, and if the vinyl is not too thick, the vinyl can perhaps be creased somewhat, in a non-damaging way. Such creasing serves to identify reasonably well to the installer, the precise location where the cut is to take place, so that the freshly cut edge of the vinyl will lie closely against the wall. On the other hand, if the vinyl is thick, more of an approximation on the part of the installer must be made as to the location where the cut is to be effected.
The cutting of the vinyl is usually accomplished by the use of a conventional, hand-held cutter. From the end of the handle of such cutter, the pointed edge of a very sharp blade protrudes. So as not to risk damaging a new sheet of vinyl so seriously as to make it unusable, even an experienced installer will likely make an oversize first cut. Then, after the conspicuously unnecessary material has been removed, it is possible for the installer to make a closer cut, but frequently a still further cut or two must be made until the cut edge of the vinyl closely conforms to the wall.
Even though the final cut will result in the edge of the vinyl lying rather closely against the wall, often the cut made by the installer is somewhat wavering rather than being entirely straight, meaning that a bead of sealer or the like must be used in an attempt to hide the irregularly cut edge of the vinyl.
Certain patents dealing with the problem have already been issued, with the Weber U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,586, relating to Carpet-Trimming Templates being somewhat typical. The Weber template is a stationary device, which is to be placed at the intersection of the floor and the wall. When using the Weber device, it is necessary for the installer to pull a separate, hand-held blade along a knife-receiving slot in order to cut the carpet. Most important, it is frequently necessary for the installer to pick up the Weber template and move it to each new location, which of course means that the template must be repositioned a number of times during the procedure in which the edge of the carpet nearest the wall is being cut to size.
The Hill et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,418, entitled "Boot For Trimmer For Resilient Floor Covering Material," provides a handle to be grasped by the installer in order to cause a blade to move along the location of the floor covering that is to be cut. It will be noted that Hill et al configures his device to have a curved wall member designed to rest on top of the floor covering, and to press directly against the upwardly curving floor covering. Hill utilizes a blade (actually two blades) at approximately a 45.degree. angle to the floor, which blade is caused to move along the floor covering as the installer draws the handle along a location relatively near the intersection of the floor and wall. However, the Hill device, upon being pressed tightly against the upper surface of the vinyl being installed, is likely to cause scratch marks on the surface of the vinyl. Even more important, if the Hill device is being utilized in connection with the installation of a stiff piece of vinyl, it would be almost impossible to force the vinyl into the juncture between the floor and the wall. In addition, with nothing under the vinyl to use as a cutting guide, it would be almost impossible for the installer to achieve an even, straight cut. In other words, use of the Hill device would provide only a very rough approximation of the location where the floor covering needs to be cut in order for the cut edge to lie closely against the wall.
It was to overcome the distinct disadvantages of these and other prior art patents that the instant invention was created.